Authors conclude that reinforcers provided by the behavioral approach provide immediate, short-range motivation for the child to acquire needed skills and information, while fostering the intrinsic desire to learn. (Author)

THEORETICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL ANALOGIES ARE DRAWN BETWEEN LEARNING THEORY AND PERSUASIVE COMMUNICATION AS AN EXTENSION OF LIBERALIZED STIMULUS RESPONSE THEORY. IN THE FIRST EXPERIMENT ON INSTRUMENTAL CONDITIONING OF ATTITUDES, THE SUBJECTS READ AN OPINION TO BE LEARNED, FOLLOWED BY A SUPPORTING ARGUMENT ASSUMED TO FUNCTION AS A REINFORCER. THE TIME…

The ability to detect and learn about the predictive relations existing between events in the world is essential for adaptive behavior. It allows us to use past events to predict the future and to adjust our behavior accordingly. Pavlovian fear conditioning allows anticipation of sources of danger in the environment. It guides attention away from…